Improvement in car-couplings



0. T. BAKER.

Car-Coupling.

Patented Ma rch2,1875.

Nd.l60,295.

N" HIHL Inventor @idw Witnesses I Attorneys.

lyw

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFI OWEN T. BAKER, OF WAMEGO, KANSAS.

IMPROVEMENT IN CAR-COUPLINGS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 160,295, dated March 2, 1875; application filed June 27, 1874.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, OWEN T. BAKER, of Wamego, in the county of Pottawattomie and State of Kansas, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Automatic UanOoupling, of which the following is a specification:

Figure 1 is a vertical longitudinal section of my improved car-coupling taken through the line as m, Fig. 2. Fig. 2 is a top view of the same, part of the top plate being broken away to show the construction.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts.

My invention has for its object to furnish an improved car-coupling, simple in construction, and safe and reliable in operation, being so constructed as to couple the cars automatically as they are run together.

The invention consists in the combination of the valves, arms or levers, spring, and coupling-pin with each other, and with the bumper, to adapt them to operate in connection with the link, as hereinafter fully described.

A is the bumper-head, the mouth of which is made hopper-shaped, to-guide the enteringlink B into place. The cavity of the bumperhead is made large, to receive the two valves 0, which are pivoted, at the upper and lower ends of their outer edges, to the bottom and top of the bumper A. The lower part of the forward sides of the valves 0 are beveled or inclined to press against the end of the link and hold it horizontal, and to form flanges or crowns upon their upper edges, to operate upon the cou plin g-pin D, as hereinafter described. The upper pivots of the valve 0 project into a chamber formed upon the top of the bumper, and to these are rigidly attached the arms or levers E, with which are connected the ends of the bent or U spring F. The spring F may be round or flat. \Nhen made round, its ends may be bent outward at right angles, to en-' ter holes in the arms E, so that it may be conveniently attached and detached, as required. The coupling-pin D may be made round or square, and has a projection or toe, 01, upon the forward part of its lower end, as shown in Fig. 1.

To adjust the coupling to couple the cars as they are run together, the. lower end of the pin D is set upon the upper edge or crown of the valves 0, in the position shown in Fig. 1 then, as the cars are run together, the entering-link B pushes back the valve 0, and the pin D drops through the link B.

To uncouple a car and leave the coupling ready to couple again immediately, the pin D is raised and its lower end is set upon the shoulder a of the top plate of the lower chamber of the bumper A, With its toe d projecting below the lower surface of said top plate; then, as the link is withdrawn, the top flanges of the valves 0, as they move forward, strike the toe of the pin D, and bring said pin into the position shown in Fig. 1. To uncouple the car when it is not to be coupled immediately, the coupling-pin D is raised, and its lower end is placed upon the top of the upper plate of the lower chamber of the bumper A, with its toe d resting upon the shoulder a, of said plate, so as to be untouched by the valves 0 in their forward movement.

The pin D may be permanently connected with the bumper A by a pin, Gr, attached to the forward side of its lower end, and which works up and down through notches in the bumper at the forward side of the pin-hole, the said pin G, by this construction, being entirely out of the way of the link B.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent The combination of the valve 0, levers E, spring F, and coupling-pin D, and the bumper A, to adapt them to operate in connection with link B, substantially as shown and described.

. OWEN T. BAKER. Witnesses:

H. G. OHALLIs, F. CUNNINGHAM. 

